CXXXII REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



natural conditions. A barrel of lime was spread around tbe e(ige of 

 the claire, so as to be gradually w ashed into the water and famish the 

 material required by oysters in the fabrication of the shell. 



Until October the oysters in the claire remained exceedingly poor, 

 but during that month they began to improve, and in November were 

 in better condition than those in the near-by beds in the open watei-. 

 The improvement continued during December, and by January 60 jier 

 cent were as fat as oysters ever become, and the remainder were 

 fair. These conditions remained unchanged until about the middle of 

 April, when the proportion of fat oysters became much reduced. From 

 November until the early part of March the claire oysters excelled 

 those on the nearest outside beds, but in March all of the latter became 

 fat, and soon after the former began to deteriorate. About this time 

 the water in the claire, which had been of low density since June, 

 1898, became almost fresh, owing to an unusually heavy rainfall and the 

 absence of tides high enough to flow over the crest of the claire. The 

 salinity of the pond could have been maintained, but it was desired 

 to study the effect of the excessive precipitation. 



The reason why 40 per cent of the oysters under observation failed 

 to attain the quality of their neighbors is not positively known, but it 

 seems probable that it was in part owing to an irregular distribution 

 of the food organisms. Under natural conditions the tides are the 

 most important agent in this distribution; but the pond, being usually 

 cut off' from tidal influence, has no currents except the weak ones 

 occasioned by winds and slight differences in temperature. It seems 

 not unreasonable to expect that better results might be obtained by 

 inducing stronger currents, and hence a more even dispersal of the 

 oyster food. A plan for attaining this end is under consideration, and 

 may be put into execution during the next year if a more uniform fat- 

 tening of the oysters does not take place. These experiments promise 

 to lead to improvements in methods that will place oyster-culture more 

 nearly abreast of the best methods of agriculture. 



The oyster business of the Lynnhaven region was better during the 

 season of 1898-99 than for several years. The green coloration of the 

 oysters which had prevailed disappeared by July, 1898, and, as fre- 

 quently happens after such a visitation, the oysters in many j)arts of the 

 bay became quite fat in the following season. The prompt disappear- 

 ance of the greenness was probably due to excessive rainfall during the 

 summer and autumn of 1898, for it seems that this peculiar affection 

 is in some way correlated with a deficient rainfall. 



FISHES OF THE COAST OF LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK. 



In September and October, 1898, the Commission had the services of 

 the well-known ichthyologist. Dr. Tarleton H. Bean, in studying and col- 

 lecting the fishes of the southern shore of Long Isjand, New York. For 

 about two months before his work for the Commission began, Dr. Bean 

 was engaged in this locality in obtaining specimens for tlie New York 

 State Museum. This coast has a very rich fish fauna, and about half 



